Head of Grand Canyon National Park cleared of undisclosed allegations

Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Christine Lehnertz (right) speaks with a member of the public at an October 2017 event at the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff.(Photo11: Benji Shanahan/Associated Press)

The superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park is returning to work after being cleared in a federal investigation.

Christine Lehnertz had been reassigned while investigators from the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General looked into undisclosed allegations against her.

The deputy director of the National Park Service, Dan Smith, told employees Thursday that the allegations were unfounded and Lehnertz would return soon as superintendent.

A spokeswoman for the Inspector General's office said Friday its investigative report isn't ready for public release and declined to elaborate on the allegations.

Lehnertz, a trained environmental biologist, has worked for the Park Service for more than a decade. She took the Grand Canyon job in August 2016 as the park's first female superintendent after a sexual harassment scandal led to the retirement of its former chief.